the age at which you are most at risk is 25.
Ozempic is a popular drug that is helping people lose weight, with several celebrities confirming that they have used it.
Like Wegovy, Ozempic is a brand name for Semaglutide.
Ozempic is an antidiabetic medication used for the treatment of Type 2 diabetes and Wegovy has been approved as an anti-obesity medication used for long-term weight management.
They are highly effective. One doctor said that such drugs can help people lose approximately 15% of their body weight.
And for South Asian people, this drug can be particularly helpful.
This is due to this demographic being more at risk of Type 2 diabetes. In fact, South Asians are up to four times higher than other ethnic groups.
Diet, lifestyle and genetics are all factors that contribute to this higher proportion.
While South Asian people are more at risk, medical findings say that the age at which you are most at risk is 25.
Ozempic is taken once a week as an injection to manage blood glucose levels and HbA1c in people with Type 2 diabetes.
As a GLP-1 analogue medication, it increases the levels of incretins – a hormone – which helps your body to produce more insulin when needed. It also suppresses the amount of glucose produced by the liver.
While it does not get rid of Type 2 diabetes, it helps manage it, which could make things easier for South Asian people with it.
An Ozempic prescription should only be administered after an assessment by a healthcare professional to make sure that you will benefit from its use.
This will depend on your personal circumstances, and there are several important factors that need considering. These include dose, the risk of side effects, and a person’s lifestyle and current treatment plan.
Those with Type 2 diabetes who use Ozempic can also lose weight.
This happens partly due to its effect on reducing your appetite so you eat less and slowing down the movement of food in your gut, which means you stay full for longer.
In England, almost three-quarters of people aged between 45 and 74 are either overweight or obese. And in terms of ethnicity, 57% of Asians are either overweight or obese.
This is mainly due to diet as a lot of South Asian people eat traditional foods which are high in fat and salt.
When combined with Western fast foods, this can lead to obesity and ups the risk of developing diabetes.
Obese men who are at risk of the disease have waist measurements of 37 inches or more. It is lower for South Asians as they are at risk if they have a measurement of 35 inches or more.
Obesity, specifically central or abdominal obesity, is strongly associated with Type 2 diabetes and South Asian people are known to be more likely to have excess fat stored around the abdomen.
Another reason why is that the bodies of South Asian people and European people are different when it comes to burning fat.
The ability to process fat is impaired in South Asian people. This could increase the risk of “insulin resistance” which could lead to developing Type 2 diabetes.
Ozempic has quickly grown in popularity due to its weight loss properties, however, it has resulted in shortages of the drug.
Those with Type 2 diabetes should be reassured that there are several alternative GLP-1 analogue treatments available that work in similar ways to Ozempic.
People with Type 2 diabetes who are already being prescribed Ozempic are unlikely to have their supply affected and those yet to be started on this medication may be prescribed an alternative treatment.
Healthcare professionals will work with patients to find the best course of treatment for them.
Similar to other medications, Ozempic has side effects.
Common ones include constipation and diarrhoea, while less common side effects include altered taste and acute pancreatitis.
If you have diabetic eye disease (retinopathy) and are using insulin, then Ozempic may lead to a worsening of your vision and this may require treatment.
Tell your doctor if you have diabetic eye disease or if you experience eye problems during treatment with this medication.
More information about the side effects is contained in the Patient Information Leaflet (PIL) which comes in the box of the medication, so make sure to read this.
It is also important that you take individual advice from your healthcare team before starting Ozempic treatment and report any side effects if you experience any.
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